American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Leviticus 4
1
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2
Speak to the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:
Reference
3
If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bullock without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering.
Reference
4
And he shall bring the bullock to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand on the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the LORD.
5
And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation:
Reference
6
And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the veil of the sanctuary.
Reference
Blood
Leviticus 16:14
Leviticus 16:19
Parallel theme
Joshua 6:4
Leviticus 26:28
Leviticus 26:24
Leviticus 26:18
References Lord
Joshua 6:8
Leviticus 14:18
7
And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Reference
8
And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock for the sin offering; the fat that covers the inwards, and all the fat that is on the inwards,
9
And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the lobe above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away,
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 3:4
10
As it was taken off from the bullock of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall burn them on the altar of the burnt offering.
11
And the skin of the bullock, and all his flesh, with his head, and with his legs, and his inwards, and his dung,
Reference
12
Even the whole bullock shall he carry forth without the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and burn him on the wood with fire: where the ashes are poured out shall he be burnt.
Reference
13
And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;
Reference
Word
Leviticus 5:17
14
When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.
Reference
15
And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 1:4
16
And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:
17
And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, even before the veil.
18
And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
19
And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it on the altar.
20
And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.
Reference
21
And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the first bullock: it is a sin offering for the congregation.
Reference
Sin
Leviticus 16:15
22
When a ruler has sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD his God concerning things which should not be done, and is guilty;
Reference
23
Or if his sin, wherein he has sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
Reference
24
And he shall lay his hand on the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it is a sin offering.
25
And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.
Reference
26
And he shall burn all his fat on the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
Reference
27
And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he does somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;
Reference
28
Or if his sin, which he has sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has sinned.
Reference
29
And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 4:4
Leviticus 4:15
Sacrifice
Leviticus 1:4
Sin
Leviticus 4:24
Leviticus 4:33
30
And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.
Reference
31
And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet smell to the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.
Reference
References Lord
Genesis 8:21
Sacrifice
Leviticus 4:26
Leviticus 4:35
Leviticus 1:9
Exodus 29:18
Leviticus 1:13
33
And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.
34
And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:
Reference
35
And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire to the LORD: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him.
Reference
Summary of Leviticus 4
Leviticus, chapter 4 describes the sin offering and the procedures the Israelites needed to follow when a person sinned unknowingly. The chapter covers various people belonging to the nation that had sinned – the anointed priest, the whole congregation of Israel, a ruler, and an ordinary person. Though different instructions for bringing the offerings were given, the purpose was the same – the sin had to be addressed and the person could be forgiven through the offering of sin.
The chapter begins with the Lord instructing Moses to explain what should be done when a person sinned regarding the Lord’s commandments. The phrasing is important since the whole of the chapter is devoted to those sins that have been committed without rebellious intent and, perhaps, without a person fully realizing the wrong that they have done. Such an offense could become known at a later time, and the atonement should be made with a sin offering.
The verses then turn to the case of sin offering by the anointed priest. If the priest had sinned and brought upon the people a sin, a young bullock without blemish was to be brought as a sin offering. The priest had to bring the bullock to the door of the tabernacle before the Lord, placing his hand upon the bullock’s head and killing the animal.
The priest then had to take part of the bullock’s blood into the tabernacle, dipping his finger into the blood, and sprinkling it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil, inside the tabernacle. The priest then had to place some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense. The rest of the blood had to be poured out at the bottom of the altar of burnt-offering.
The priest then had to remove the fat of the bullock and burn it upon the altar. The kidneys and the fat that were connected to them were also to be removed and burned, similarly to the portions that had been burned in the peace offering.
The rest of the bullock was to be taken down to a clean place outside the camp, where they were to be burned completely. The sacrifice, therefore, had to be made in terms of blood and the body of the animal.
The next scenario described in the chapter covers the entire congregation of Israel. If the people of Israel had sinned unknowingly and the matter was later discovered, the people of the congregation were to bring a young bullock as a sin offering. The elders of the congregation then placed their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord and killed it.
The priest then brought the blood into the tabernacle, sprinkling it before the veil, seven times. He also placed some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense and poured the remainder of the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering. The fat and certain inward parts were burned on the altar, while the rest of the bullock was taken outside the camp and burned.
The chapter then turns to the case of sin by a ruler. If a ruler sinned unknowingly and later came to learn of his sin, he was to bring a male goat without blemish. The ruler placed his hand upon the goat’s head and killed it in the place where the burnt offering was killed.
The priests then placed some of the goat’s blood on the horns of the altar of burnt-offering. The rest of the blood was to be poured out at the bottom of the altar. The fats were to be burned on the altar. After this, the chapter notes that the priest would make atonement for the ruler, and his sin would be forgiven.
The final scenario in the chapter covers one of the people of the land. If a person had sinned unknowningly, they were to be able to bring a female goat without blemish as their offering. They placed their hand upon the goat’s head and killed it in the place where the burnt offering was killed.
The priest then took of the blood for use in the manner specified, placing some of it on the horns of the altar and pouring the remainder at the foot of the altar. The fat of the goat was to be burnt on the altar. The chapter again mentions that the priest would make atonement for the person, whose sin would then be forgiven.
A person could also bring a female lamb as a sin offering, instead of the female goat. It had to be without blemish, and the general procedure was similar – placing one’s hand on the animal, killing it, and the priest handling the blood and burning the portions of the animal that had been designated. The verses that describe the sin offerings cover various offerings, the procedures following similar patterns for each.
The different offerings that are mentioned in the chapter illustrate the relationship between an individual and the responsibilities that the person has to God. The sacrifice that was due for the anointed priest and the whole congregation of Israel was different from the sacrifice required for a ruler and of an ordinary person. The priest and the congregation brought a bullock, while a ruler brought a male goat and an ordinary person could bring a female goat or lamb.
The chapter also highlights the fact that the sin committed by the individual could bring guilt upon other people, as was the case with the anointed priest. There was also a separate provision for a sin committed by the whole congregation. This illustrated the responsibility that the nation’s leaders had towards ensuring that the people followed the commandments of God.
A key message that runs through the chapter is the fact that the forgiveness was possible. Following the appropriate procedures for the atonement, the person was forgiven. The offering did not mean that the sin committed by an individual was not acknowledged – the Israelites were provided with a particular procedure that they could use in case they discovered that they had inadvertently violated any of God’s commandments.
Leviticus, chapter 4 draws a clear line between the sins that are deliberately committed as an act of rebellion and the sins that are committed unknowingly. The people were not encouraged to ignore the cases of sin or wrong that had been done without rebellious intent. Once the sin had become known, the individual was expected to acknowledge it and bring the appropriate offering.
The chapter provides a clear picture of the manner in which the sin offering worked – the person (or group) was to bring an animal of the specified type without blemish, identify themselves with the offering by placing their hand on its head, and then the animal was to be killed. The priests handled the blood and burned the required portions of the animal and in some cases the rest of the animal was taken to the part of the camp outside the city, where it was to be burned.
Leviticus, chapter 4 continues the discussion of the offerings by providing further instructions about how the Israelites were to deal with sin. The chapter covers different scenarios – the priest, the whole congregation of Israel, a ruler, and an ordinary person – and each was expected to know their part in responding to the sin. Through the sacrifice, the person had the opportunity for forgiveness and a restored relationship with God.
The message of the chapter is intrinsically related to responsibility – God’s commandments were not treated as an optional set of rules, even those, perhaps, not followed out of malice but out of ignorance. At the same time, God provided a way for the guilty person to respond, seeking His atonement. The sin offering was the practical opportunity by which the Israelites could recognize the wrong that they had done and atone for it.
The chapter begins with the Lord instructing Moses to explain what should be done when a person sinned regarding the Lord’s commandments. The phrasing is important since the whole of the chapter is devoted to those sins that have been committed without rebellious intent and, perhaps, without a person fully realizing the wrong that they have done. Such an offense could become known at a later time, and the atonement should be made with a sin offering.
The verses then turn to the case of sin offering by the anointed priest. If the priest had sinned and brought upon the people a sin, a young bullock without blemish was to be brought as a sin offering. The priest had to bring the bullock to the door of the tabernacle before the Lord, placing his hand upon the bullock’s head and killing the animal.
The priest then had to take part of the bullock’s blood into the tabernacle, dipping his finger into the blood, and sprinkling it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil, inside the tabernacle. The priest then had to place some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense. The rest of the blood had to be poured out at the bottom of the altar of burnt-offering.
The priest then had to remove the fat of the bullock and burn it upon the altar. The kidneys and the fat that were connected to them were also to be removed and burned, similarly to the portions that had been burned in the peace offering.
The rest of the bullock was to be taken down to a clean place outside the camp, where they were to be burned completely. The sacrifice, therefore, had to be made in terms of blood and the body of the animal.
The next scenario described in the chapter covers the entire congregation of Israel. If the people of Israel had sinned unknowingly and the matter was later discovered, the people of the congregation were to bring a young bullock as a sin offering. The elders of the congregation then placed their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord and killed it.
The priest then brought the blood into the tabernacle, sprinkling it before the veil, seven times. He also placed some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense and poured the remainder of the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering. The fat and certain inward parts were burned on the altar, while the rest of the bullock was taken outside the camp and burned.
The chapter then turns to the case of sin by a ruler. If a ruler sinned unknowingly and later came to learn of his sin, he was to bring a male goat without blemish. The ruler placed his hand upon the goat’s head and killed it in the place where the burnt offering was killed.
The priests then placed some of the goat’s blood on the horns of the altar of burnt-offering. The rest of the blood was to be poured out at the bottom of the altar. The fats were to be burned on the altar. After this, the chapter notes that the priest would make atonement for the ruler, and his sin would be forgiven.
The final scenario in the chapter covers one of the people of the land. If a person had sinned unknowningly, they were to be able to bring a female goat without blemish as their offering. They placed their hand upon the goat’s head and killed it in the place where the burnt offering was killed.
The priest then took of the blood for use in the manner specified, placing some of it on the horns of the altar and pouring the remainder at the foot of the altar. The fat of the goat was to be burnt on the altar. The chapter again mentions that the priest would make atonement for the person, whose sin would then be forgiven.
A person could also bring a female lamb as a sin offering, instead of the female goat. It had to be without blemish, and the general procedure was similar – placing one’s hand on the animal, killing it, and the priest handling the blood and burning the portions of the animal that had been designated. The verses that describe the sin offerings cover various offerings, the procedures following similar patterns for each.
The different offerings that are mentioned in the chapter illustrate the relationship between an individual and the responsibilities that the person has to God. The sacrifice that was due for the anointed priest and the whole congregation of Israel was different from the sacrifice required for a ruler and of an ordinary person. The priest and the congregation brought a bullock, while a ruler brought a male goat and an ordinary person could bring a female goat or lamb.
The chapter also highlights the fact that the sin committed by the individual could bring guilt upon other people, as was the case with the anointed priest. There was also a separate provision for a sin committed by the whole congregation. This illustrated the responsibility that the nation’s leaders had towards ensuring that the people followed the commandments of God.
A key message that runs through the chapter is the fact that the forgiveness was possible. Following the appropriate procedures for the atonement, the person was forgiven. The offering did not mean that the sin committed by an individual was not acknowledged – the Israelites were provided with a particular procedure that they could use in case they discovered that they had inadvertently violated any of God’s commandments.
Leviticus, chapter 4 draws a clear line between the sins that are deliberately committed as an act of rebellion and the sins that are committed unknowingly. The people were not encouraged to ignore the cases of sin or wrong that had been done without rebellious intent. Once the sin had become known, the individual was expected to acknowledge it and bring the appropriate offering.
The chapter provides a clear picture of the manner in which the sin offering worked – the person (or group) was to bring an animal of the specified type without blemish, identify themselves with the offering by placing their hand on its head, and then the animal was to be killed. The priests handled the blood and burned the required portions of the animal and in some cases the rest of the animal was taken to the part of the camp outside the city, where it was to be burned.
Leviticus, chapter 4 continues the discussion of the offerings by providing further instructions about how the Israelites were to deal with sin. The chapter covers different scenarios – the priest, the whole congregation of Israel, a ruler, and an ordinary person – and each was expected to know their part in responding to the sin. Through the sacrifice, the person had the opportunity for forgiveness and a restored relationship with God.
The message of the chapter is intrinsically related to responsibility – God’s commandments were not treated as an optional set of rules, even those, perhaps, not followed out of malice but out of ignorance. At the same time, God provided a way for the guilty person to respond, seeking His atonement. The sin offering was the practical opportunity by which the Israelites could recognize the wrong that they had done and atone for it.